Island



June'19, 1923. 1,459,497

G. P. BOSWORTH HOSIERY AND METHOD F MAKING THE SAME Filed June 26, 1920 12191. E92. m

f8 VW Patented June 19, 1923.

UNITED STATES 1,459,497 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. BOSWORTH. OF CENTRAL FALLS. RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HEMP- HILL COMPANY. OF PAWTUCKET. RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

HOSIERY AND METHOD F MAKING THE SAME,

Application led June 26A Re it knriwn thnt I. Gwinn-i: l linswiiic'rn` :i ritixen if the i'nited States. :1nd :i resident il `enti-:il Valls. in the enmity nt' lrm'iden: e and Stute nl' lthmle lidnnrl. have invented :in linprlivement in lliisiery :ind .\lethrid.\l nl' Milking the lnume. if whit-h th(l l`nllnwin; deseriptirin. in 'inneetinn with the :lei-mnpartyingr drawings. in :i lqieeilientinn. like eliarar-ters nn the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates tti hiisiery :ind tn the method rit' making th(l Sinne. and hiepairtit'lilzli' rel-ereneel tn lnziehine-knitted l'iillfashioned hosiery. rl`he invention lin.` l'fir its (ilijeet t0 eeunfiniieiill)v und riipidl) priidiieineatly fitting;r and stylish hrisierj'.

In the neeonipanliing drawing l have ehnwn merely for the pnrpnsea` if illii`lrn tirin one form rif stiieking ernlind \in; r my inventinn, and in erinneetinn therewith l shzill deserihe the liest method known tli me fur making the Hume.

ln the drawinlggs:`

"ig l is u side elevatien nl" a stm-kin;r made in ucerirdanee with my inventnn:

Fig. 2 is :i side elevation 0f a blank from whieh the complete .ducking s-hnwn herein is ,iioililt-eil; and

llig. 3 is n side elevation of tht` lmit nl ii modified farm of stneking hlank.

Fig. 4 is -zi diuglfrzunmutif; plan if the needles (if i1 eirenlzir knitting` man-himnpnn which the. hhinks illustrated in the prem-himr figures eunl he nrndnr'ed.

I shall refer tn the` stlieking herein whnwn as a niuehine knitted stiwking. :ind tn its formation upon u lnaehine ul' the rgeneral type known :is :i rfirelilar knittin;r nnxehine wherein either the needltl eylinder nr the knittingr nanna nnij.' have relative rnturiY nr ref-iprneiitnri4 nmvement. It is. hiiwever. distinetly tti he understood .that within the scope and purpose if the inventinn the steeking muy he knitted otherwise. nr nptin other types of maehine than these to whir'h refer enen has heen made. The blank from which the, storzkim;r embodying thin intention is prtirlueed is knitted upon a cirenlnr knitting machine preferablyy suhatzintiully like that disclosed in the patent tn Hemphill No. 9253.- 443 dated September 7, 1909, and the priidnctitin thereof involve: both rotar) and re` eiprneuttny nnivements nl the machine, und for convenience such. movements will have 1920, Serial N0, 392,050.

referenr-e tu the needle enrrier er needle flvlinder rzither thun tu the knitting r earns. briniisly, knittinlLr (if the stneking hlzink may lie started either at the tup (if the legr or :it the lne. lnll herein l `hull refer tn the ipx-rations :is hegginnimgr :it the tue und npnn :i eirenlnrerie` nl needles hitting eertnin needles thererif withdrawn ir tlirtiwn int if iir'tinn tempnrnriliy tri prnihu-e :in interruptiiin nr ,gap in the eireillur eiintinuitv (if walee if the fulirie. this gap nei-tiring In the present emliiidiment :il the renter (if the lint` trim if the tne The stnekiir;r enilind'ring this inverni-in hun4 :i l'niit l inelndin;r :i tue plieket 2 und :i heel pneket Il. .with tne :ind heel pnt-keb lieinLr nepzirilted ln' the :ireh piirtifin 4t whit-h. tiiggether with Suid trie und heel pneketx. :tre Vwinned :is eenrentninnlli inde enti-il :il `i :thing the eifnter rif the hiittmn if the l'mil :inil :lriinnd tht-'heel thereof', 'lfhtl sliieking further einliiidies :In :lnkle piirtinn (i. l'ilehiiined will' :ind it lnliiilnr le; `Ir if". The :nikle t' :ind l'nshinned milf T :ire sezinied admin;A thteenter if ther lint-k thereiif' :is erin rentiriniilly indiented at Sl. whieh eznn is a eiintinimtinn il` the senin ."'i :it the hiittnm if the inrit, said senin 9 termiinitinlgr at the tnp nl' thtl eiilf T. .'ilthrilrL'h it muy it desired he enntinned tri the tup if the leghileng the eenteri'if thi liziek rif the tillinlitr prirtnin H" hnt when an extended it will eunstilnte nierel :i mnek er iniitnliiin .Qi-:nir 'l`he tiie pneket nl' the tiieking has it :-e:t|n lll exv tending` tirer thi" top llierefil' l'liini Pentel' tu veiller iil'enth side ill A\:|iil pfiehet. tliltsy ltnltin,"r the lirst eniirne hiiipx nl' win] [ne pui-kel ith the Ierniinnl ir ir miurl limp nl' the instep purtiiin ll. 'l`he preferred nnnle ir wcpienee v-'Aperntiiinx einphiyed in pmdneY in;l the sliieking' herein 4hun n i\ :n liiillnnx.

l'piin the interrupted writ-n lilA needles hereinhelm'e referred tm l priieeed ti kni! zi. plnrzilit)y ril remweg :le \hi\\n :It IL'. :ind wliilh nre herein deignzited :IS priileetii'e eenrses that :ire litter i'ziwlled hziek tti permit the lnopin,"r ril' the lir t tiinrSe nl' the weh ennstitntinir :laid tno pneket with the termi mil ir lirst eni|r e liitipn if the instep seetien 0l' thtl Stiiekinu. thnx t0 ffii-ln the `benin lll il liintritted in Fig. l, The priiteetiw. rnlnses l2 may lie :ind prefernhl)V ire fiirined duringY the ret-i1iiweiitiingr nniremeix if the needle eylinderA tir lily tf ind lirti kniltiirLi .in` it iS sometime i-ailled. :ind hij reien til :inch movements, and also h y reason ef the with` llll drawal` of certain needles ofthe series, a strip of fabric will be formed having selvages 13 at opposite sides thereof (see Fig. `2), which facilitate the ravelling back of the courses prior to the seeming operation.

Having knitted a suflicient number ot these protective courses, the next step in the operation is to produce the toef pocket 2, the first course in the formation thereof being etfected .during to and tro or reciprocating knitting and following the withdrawal from action in the usual manner of the instep needles, that is. those needles upon which the portion 11 of the stocking is formed, said withdrawn needles retaining their loops while inactive. Knitting next roceeds upon the remaining needles, these needles being arranged in two separate substantially equal groups separated by the needles which were withdrawn at the beginning of the knitting operations to form the interruption or gap above referred toA In order that the arrangement of the needles which are..in operation at this time may be better understood, let it be assumed that the needle cylinder contains in all three hundred needles arranged as shown in Fig. 4, one hundred of which are included in the bracket 25 and constitute the instep needles, a second hundred arranged in two groups included in the brackets 26 and stituting thc needles upon which the toe pocket web is formed and the third hundred embraced by the bracket 28 and constituting the needles which are withdrawn to produce the interruption or gap. The needles upon which the toe pocket web is to be formed are divided as Stated'into two groups 26 and 27 of substantially fifty needles each, which groups separate-the remaining two groups of needles; that is, the instep and the withdrawn groups 25 and 28 respectively. The operation to be described relates to knittingr upon the two groups 26 and 27 of fifty needles constituting the needles upon which said toe pocket web is formed, all other needles being withdrawn from action at this time. The toe pocket is produced in the usual nuinner, that is. by narrowing and widening, which consists in gradually withdrawing from action certain of the needles ol' the groups 2G and 27 lieginning with needles 29 and 30 of the series, permitting said withdrawn needles to rctain their loops, and after a certain number of these needles have been withdrawn, then in restoring said needles in a reverse order to that in which they were withdrawn and in effecting the interlooping of the new loops formed upon said gradually restored needles and those loops which were retained by said needles` thus uniting in diagonal courses at opposite sides ot' the toe pocket thc corresponding narrowed and widened courses of the web. These narrowing and widening courses are produced by reciproeating knitting and by reason of the grou 28 ot needles which are withdrawn and whic produce the gap at the center of thebottom of the toe, the edges of the two sections of the web constituting said toe pocket will be connected together by floating yarns i4, see Fig. 2, which may also be termed elongated sinker wales.

Followingr the knitting ot the last widening course of said toe pocket, the instep needles 25 are restored to action, andV upon these needles and the needles 26 and 2i' employed in knitting said toe pocket the section 4 and the section ll of the stocking which separates the toe and heel pockets 2 and 3 will be knitted by reciprocating knitting to form an oppositely selvaged strip of fabric, the seliaged edges thereof forming continuations of the edges ot the toe pocket which are connected together by the floating yarns 14. the needles 28 remaining out of action. Upon completion of the last course of the foot prior to the formation of the heel pocket 3, the instep needles 25 are again withdrawn from action, retaining their loops` and knitting proceeds in the usual manner upon the remaining needles ofV the groups 26 and 27 to produce gorcs by narrowingr and widening said heel pocket it; but, by reason of the separation of thenecdles forming said heel pocket web, said web will be formed in two sections, `the oorresponding edges of these sections being connected together by floating yarns 15, which span the gaplproduced by the group 28 ot inactive needles hereinbefore referre to. The needles of the groups 26 and 27 operating at this time are first gradually reduced in number during the reciprocating movements of the cylinder beginning with the needles 29 and 30, and after a certain number ot courses have been knitted in this manner, said needles are restored in the reverse order and the new loops formed upon said needles immediately fol lowing their restoration are united with the old loops that were retained upon said needles during their withdrawal, thus uniting the narrowing and widening courses in diagonal seams or gores i6. Following the knitting ot' the last widening course of sai heel pocket, the instep needles 25 are again restored to action and knitting proceeds upon the active needles to produce by rcciprocating knitting an oppositely selvage `strip constituting the ankle 6 up to the bottom of the fashioned calf 7. at which point in the operation one or more needles at opposite. ends of the withdrawn series o needles 2h are restored and these restored needles cooperate to increase the width of the strip constituting said calf.

.\t certain intervals this operaton of re storing?y cri-tain of said wiilnlrnwn needles is substantially similar sepnruted gored serA tions having non-selvaged edges connected hi' floating `Vzirns.

u, That method of makin;r n stocking whit'li consists in knitting upon un interriiptefl circular series of needles to form an oppositely seh-aged strip, then in knitting integral with suid strip upon two separated sets of needles reeiproeutinp'l)Y and by narrowinpY und widening to form a gered toe poi-ket in two sections united by floating yarns, then in knitting reeiproeetingly to form un oppositely selvuged strip constituting: the intermediate portion of the foot,then in knittingr reeiprocatingly upon two sepa rnted sets of needles to form a gered heel pocket eonsistinpr of two substantially cov extensive sertions of fabrie united hy floating;r `yarns. then in knitting integral with said nnkle a fashioned Calf and subsequently knitting;r the upper leg portion of the stocking.

T. That method of making a stocking which consists in knitting reeiprocatingly upon a selected group of needles to forni a gered toe pocket, then in knitting reciprocntingly upon un increased number of needles to form an oppositelir selvaged strip constitutingr the intermediate portion of the foot`- then in knitting reeiprocatingly upon two separated groups of needles to form a heel pocket in two gered sections united by floating yarns, then in knitting reciprocatingly upon certain needles to form an oppositeluv selvnged strip constituting the ankle, then in knitting: reeiproeatinglv upon gradsier)r upon a Circularknitting machine which ronsists in knitting rotatively upon a full circle of needles to knit a tubular leg, in knitting reeiprocatingly upon gradually varying series of needles to form a tapered or fashioned calf, in knitting reciprocatingl upon a series of needles less than the fu l circle to tomi an oppositely selvaged ankle, in withdrawing the instep needles from the last mentioned series of needles and in knit-v ting upon the remaining needles of that series in separated groups reeiprooatingly to form und by narrowing and wideningr to produce a gered heel pocket in separated sections having non-selvaged edges connect-` ed by fioatingr strands of yarn, in knitting upon all of the needles used in formingv the ankle reciproeatingly to form an oppositely selvuged section constituting the arch and instep portions of the foot and in forming a toe pocket by narrowing and widening.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE P. BOSVVORTH. 

